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"Dirty Job"Written By: ExecutiveShrimp Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, it belongs
to Bandai, Sotsu and associated parties. Written for pleasure not
profit. Rating: NC 17 Warnings: Violence, angst, Lemons, Limes Pairings: 1x2x1 Summary: Duo is a masterful pickpocket and skilled but small-time con artist who always chooses to play it safe. When his best friend owes the wrong people a lot of money, Duo get pulled into a high-stakes plot to rob thirty-something billionaire Heero Yuy. The only way to succeed and save his friend is to push his own boundaries and get way too involved.
"Dirty Job" Chapter 18 "I'm sorry, Sir, but I have to check that. You understand." The guard made an apologetic face at him. The entire staff knew him pretty well; he'd been coming to the mansion often enough for them familiarize themselves with him. But protocol must be honored and he didn't expect any differently. Duo shrugged and held out the wrapped gift that he had been cradling in his arm. The shape of it more or less already gave away what it was, but he had anticipated that the guards would have to check it anyway. The guard was about to tear the wrapping paper open with tight lips and being unable to meet Duo's gaze, when Gerry approached them and stopped the guard with a touch to his shoulder. The butler jested lightly: "Are you about to open a present that is not for you?" The guard shot him an uncomfortable look, but Gerry put him at ease and took the gift from him and handed it back to Duo, before dismissing the guard with an: "I'll take it from here." Duo watched the guard march off and then turned his attention to Gerry. "Ger, it's fine. I shouldn't have wrapped it." "Nonsense!" Gerry guides him through the kitchen and the corridor to the home office at the front right of the estate. "A gift should be wrapped." The older man seemed quite endeared by the fact that Duo had brought Heero a present to begin with and he wasn't going to let anything interfere with the gesture. Before he opened the door to the office to announce his arrival to his employer, he stopped Duo and held him by his shoulders to look at him as he said poignantly: "Duo, I trust you." It was like a stab, straight into Duo's heart. "And so does Master Yuy." Another stab; even deeper, even sharper. With a little smile Gerry turned away and knocked on the door once before swinging it open and stating: "Sir, your guest has arrived." Duo stepped into the office and found Heero exactly where he expected him to be: sitting at his desk, working late even though it was a Sunday. The man looked a little frazzled and overworked and it was a disarming sight. The businessman glanced up from his work and recognized Duo and immediately snapped his laptop shut and hastily gathered up the paperwork that cluttered his desk. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he said. "I know you hate it when I work late." Duo nodded his goodbye to Gerry, who closed the door behind him, before getting closer to the desk. "It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm early." Heero paused his task of cleaning up to check his watch and confirm that Duo was twenty minutes early. Duo half expected him to sit back down at his desk and continue his work, but he didn't. He finished cleaning up and then smoothed his hands down the front of his disheveled button-up in an attempt to make himself presentable – not aware that Duo actually liked seeing him in a less guarded, less perfect state, knowing it was only a façade. The atmosphere between them had changed since Heero took Duo into his secret office downstairs and showed him the personal painting two weeks ago. Heero's defenses were down; it was evident that a relief had washed over him after he told Duo more about his past and revealed himself to be so vulnerable and incomplete. He did trust Duo, it was clear as day to the conman. That made Duo's job a lot easier, technically, but it weighed on his heart and soul more than it ever did and nothing about that was easy. Heero's gaze drifted down to the present tucked under Duo's arm and he quirked an eyebrow at him. Duo smiled sheepishly and handed it out to him. "I figured I should get you a present for once." The Japanese man accepted the gift with slow, uncertain movements. There was wonder in his eyes. "…You didn't have to." "I wanted to," Duo clarified and he watched the smallest smile tug at the corners of Heero's lips. He wished he could see the man smile – that he would let himself smile – even though it would be bittersweet. "Thank you." He held it reverently and studied the dark blue wrapping paper with silver stars. "Go on! Open it." Duo inched closer and prodded Heero in his side to encourage him. The man nodded and unceremoniously tore the wrapping paper away. There was something childlike about his imprecision and rush. "I hope it's a good brand," Duo remarked as he watched Heero unwrap the bottle of eggnog. It was a pretty expensive kind; with the money Heero still paid him for his every visit, Duo had a lot more wiggle room in his budget nowadays. Not five million dollars' worth of wiggle room, but enough to splurge on a bottle of eggnog. "You said you liked it, right? But that you only drink eggnog around Christmas? Only two more weeks to go." He remembered their game of twenty-questions in a bar in New York City. It seemed Heero remembered too as he countered: "Trying to get me drunk again?" Duo smiled at the mischievous twinkle in the man's eyes. "Maybe," he drawled. Heero averted his gaze and aimed it back down at the label. "Thank you very much." "You're welcome," Duo responded softly and then he leaned in and placed a kiss on Heero's cheek. When Heero turned his head to look him in his eyes again, their lips were too close for Duo to resist making the best of the opportunity. With a heart that pounded painfully in his chest, he inched forward to seal their lips together. It was a chaste, innocent kiss, without higher pursuit or ulterior motive – and that made it the most intimate kiss he might have ever shared with anyone. It wasn't about sex or about the job, it was just about them and about Duo giving into the urge to kiss Heero as a person, uncorrupted by anything. When they parted, Heero whispered again: "Thank you very much." Duo smiled. There was a knock on the door, but Gerry didn't just barge in, like he normally did and Duo knew why; because he had interrupted their first kiss and he didn't want to risk such a mistake again. Heero cleared his throat. "Come in." The butler popped his head in. "Mister Greer is coming up to the front door. Says he is here to pick up some documents?" The Japanese businessman nodded. "Yes. Let him in when he's here." He carefully put the bottle of eggnog down and sorted through the folders on his desk. He shot an apologetic look up at Duo. "I'm sorry. This should only take a few minutes." "It's fine," Duo said dismissively. "Like I said: I'm early. Can I wait downstairs?" "Sure." Heero didn't even look up as he searched through the mess on his desk. Duo spun on his heels and headed into the forward sitting room at the very front of the mansion. Just as he walked into the room, he saw the headlights of a car coming up the driveway and it passed through the opening in the front of the house – between the conference room and the ballroom on the other side, the most forward part of the left "entertainment wing". He pressed his flat palm against the panel on the wall, next to the couch and the door to the secret office popped open. Since first being allowed down there, Duo had been given free reign through the entire house. He hadn't used his liberties to go upstairs yet, instead forcing himself to remember his mission and focus on the task ahead of him: he had to find that safe and soon too, as time was running out before the next expected cash withdrawal. Obviously, the safe had to be hidden in the downstairs office, but he hadn't been able to find it. The few times he had been alone down there, he had hastily tried applying pressure to every square panel that covered the walls, but none of them popped open like the access door. It was time for a new strategy and – unfortunately – the eggnog had been part of that strategy. The gift served as a distraction: a lightning rod. Some of the guards still routinely frisked him on his way in and he knew that bringing a package onto the estate would pull their focus and it worked too – even better when Gerry stepped in. Duo stood at the bottom of the staircase as the door fell shut above him. He couldn't hear anything that was going on upstairs, since the basement office was practically a bunker. The door could be locked from the inside, effectively making it a safe room. Assured that he would have a few minutes of privacy, he reached into the inside pocket of his black leather jacket and produced the tiny camera that Angelica had given to him. It was an incredibly risky decision and he had rejected the use of the camera before, but as time went by, he was left with fewer and fewer options and he caved under the pressure. He justified the use of the device by counting on the camera not being discovered as easily in the downstairs office as it would upstairs, which saw a lot more traffic and was cleaned regularly by the maids. As he understood it, only he, Heero and Gerry knew about the secret office – not even the head of security was informed - and if the fine layer of dust on top of the bookcases was any indication, the butler didn't get around to cleaning up all that often. He paced the room, trying to decide on the best place to hide it, considering the pros and cons of each location. Only from a few spots would the entire office be in view of the camera, but these spots provided little coverage to hide the thing. Duo studied the room and there were only a few places where he calculated the safe could be, so he placed the camera on top of a row of books, on the second highest shelf, sliding the camera back until it was obscured by shadow. When he ran his finger along the tops of the pages and pulled his hand back, his saw that his finger was grey; Gerry definitely didn't have the time to properly dust this place. That put him at ease. He turned around and confirmed that from its perch, the camera had a view of all the places that he considered to likely hide the safe: the entire length of the wall opposite of the desk, the wall with the painting and a locked filing cabinet by the foot of the staircase. The camera was placed too high to see the desk, but the cabinets of the desk were too small to hide the KDF, and it didn't have a view of the corner with the empty easel and the couch next to it, but it wasn't logical for the safe to be hidden in the wall behind either. He wiped his hand by his jeans and then made himself comfortable on the small couch. He couldn't avoid staring at the painting on the wall that he was facing. He got a chill as it felt like the faceless family was watching him and the loving stance of the father seemed to change before his eyes, into something protective and judgmental. Like he was shielding his family from the likes of Duo. He tore his gaze away and dragged his nails down his forearms, down the leather of his jacket, before sliding his fingers into the sleeves and scratching at his skin. His skin was crawling. He became nauseous too and suddenly very aware that he was underground, in a small, concrete box, with the weight of the massive house sitting on top of him. Before long, it became harder to breathe and he knew he had to get out of there before he would suffer a full-blown panic attack and draw unwanted attention and scrutiny. The conman jumped up from the couch and headed back upstairs, opening the secret door quietly. He stood in the forward sitting room for moment, listening, but he couldn't hear anything or anyone. He figured Harold Greer had already left and Heero was finishing up on some work at his desk, so Duo rounded the corner and stepped into the office. The two men froze as neither was expecting the other. Harold, Heero's assistant, had been standing in front of the bookcase – an identical twin to the one downstairs – with his head tilted to read the titles on the spines to kill time. Heero was nowhere in sight. Duo idled in the doorway that connected the office to the forward sitting room and the conference room. "What's up?" He eventually said, trying to be as casual as he could after being thrown off his game like that. Harold pinched his eyebrows together. He looked as haughty and disdainful as he did the first and only time the two of them had met before. "I didn't know you were here. We're you eavesdropping on us?" Realizing Harold had to assume Duo had been hiding out in the sitting room, within earshot of their conversation the entire time, Duo brushed off: "I didn't hear anything that is of interest to me." "No, I imagine not," the well-dressed assistant shot back snidely. "All business talk. That must bore you, if not confuse you." He smirked. Duo snorted and smirked right back. He could tell that his demeanor unnerved Harold and he enjoyed that. "Will Heero be back soon?" "Like he said," Harold answered through gritted teeth, "he's just getting something from the car. I guess you really weren't paying attention…" Duo threw a look out the window and spotted the black town car parked in the inner courtyard, with the right side door of the backseat open and someone was sitting in the seat. Gerry stood by, looking a little lost, watching his boss rifle through the papers that he had a habit of piling into the seat behind the driver or into the sleeve of the chair in front of him. Assured that they had a minute or two of privacy, Duo started: "I'd like to talk about something that did catch my attention." Harold folded his arms in front of his chest, assuming a defensive stance as he quirked one eyebrow at Duo. "I know you're stealing from him." If he wasn't already sure of the assistant's betrayal, his reaction would have proven him right anyway. The man struggled to hide a sequence of expressions in response to his shock as he tried in vain to deny the accusation. Duo made a dismissive gesture to silence him. "Don't bother. I saw through your little scheme right away." "Nonsense! There is no scheme," he asserted. His gaze darted outside. He subconsciously drew up his shoulders as he fought the desire to disappear into himself. "I do pay attention, Harold. I paid attention when you were 'procuring' that painting for Heero, from Borges' gallery. Borges got 300 grand for the painting, but Heero sent you off with 3-10." "How can you possibly know that?" He hissed. His eyes then went wide. "You're a spy!" He accused. "You're some kind of private detective, aren't you? Yuy hired you to spy on me!" "It's sad that you distrust him like that," Duo spoke genuinely in response to Harold paranoia. He understood his fears though; as a conman, you're always walking on eggshells and you're always afraid of being unmasked. It made you look at the people around you differently. If you let those fears control you, every random person at the grocery store starts to look like an agent in service of your target. When Duo first started out pickpocketing stockbrokers on the subway, he was sure, for about a month, that his new neighbor, who took the same subway train every morning and every afternoon, was a police officer staking him out. He wasn't, that much became clear when he died of an overdose of alcohol at the end of that month and was only found because Duo and someone else on their floor complained about the smell a while later. "It's sad because… he does trust you," Duo continued forlornly. "He trusts you with his money. He trusts you enough to leave you alone in his house." He nodded out the window. Heero had climbed out of the car, but seemed unhurried to get back inside as he talked with Gerry about something, while Calvin pulled the car out of the courtyard and drove it back to the main gate. Harold just blinked at him. His entire body was vibrating with anxiety. "I don't want him to lose another person that he trusts. Even if he's wrong to trust you." Duo cast his gaze down and took a deep breath before looking back up again. "I won't tell him. I won't tell him that you've been stealing from him, if you promise to stop doing it." "…Who the fuck are you?" "I'm just another person he's wrong to trust," Duo admitted, knowing Harold could never use that against him, with the kind of dirt he had on the assistant. Harold's scheme may be bold, but he was a coward at heart. "You have a good job and you should have a nice saving's account by now. Stop stealing from him and just do your job, or quit and go steal from someone else. Your secret will be safe with me." Then he stepped closer to the man, until they were uncomfortably close and Harold reactively backed away until he collided with the bookshelves. With low voice Duo promised him: "But if you keep betraying his trust, I will bring vengeance down on you so hard and fast, you'll be too disoriented to even try to fight off the first Big Jim that tries to make you his bitch in prison." The assistant swallowed audibly at the threat. Both turned to face Heero as he strutted back into the office, appearing a little surprised that Duo had come out of his hiding spot in the basement to talk with Harold, but his expression didn't read suspicious. He held a folder out Harold. "This is the last one." Gerry waited in the doorway of the office. The assistant accepted it with trembling fingers and put it on top of a neat stack arranged at the corner of the desk before lifting up the entire stack and tucking it securely under his arm. "I'll priority-mail these right away," he said, pushing every word past his lips with a rush and effort. The businessman only nodded and gestured for his assistant to follow Gerry out of the office, just as Harold's ride came up the driveway away again and circled the fountain at the center of the inner courtyard to come to a stop by the front door. Harold adjusted his hold on the documents, hugging them to his chest like a security blanket. He shot a final look Duo's way before falling in step behind the butler who showed him the way out. Duo forced on an impish smile. "Sorry, I guess I should have just waited downstairs, but I got a little bored." "I apologize. I shouldn't have kept you waiting so long. I had misplaced a contract." Duo shrugged. He clapped his hands together. "So, is dinner about ready? I'm starving! Sunday night is Sushi-night, right?" "I thought we could try something different," he said flatly, but then he cocked his head and thought to ask: "Unless you prefer sushi. Would you like sushi?" Duo grinned at the idea of Heero breaking his strict eating schedule. He liked the idea that he might have had a positive, liberating effect on the billionaire. "Nah, not at all. So, what cooking, good-looking?" He quipped. "You suggested pancake-Sundays once," Heero replied and stated offhandedly: "I don't care much for pancakes in the morning, but I had a craving for them late this afternoon. So, I thought…" He shrugged. "Pancakes for dinner?" "It's silly." Heero sounded like he was reprimanding himself for the idea; for giving into his craving. "It's genius. I could eat pancakes all-day, every day." He flashed a grin and was delighted that the simple remark and his smile elevated Heero's spirits. Heero glanced down at his watch. "Dinner should be served in a few minutes. We might as well head to kitchen and see if they are ready." The two of them left the office and crossed the corridor into the kitchen where the head chef and his sous chef were busy flipping pancakes on a baking plate. The pancakes were perfectly golden. The maids that had been setting the table had just finished up and smiled at them and greeted them politely. Duo and Heero stood on the opposite side of the cooking island and watched the chefs' precision with fascination. Duo made small-talk with the maids and the sous chef, all the while feeling Heero's eyes on him. He could tell that the man envied him for how easily he could talk to people. It saddened him that Heero was too guarded and essentially too shy to make contact with people beyond what their established relationship dictated. He couldn't just talk to the maids about their day, or ask them if they liked pancakes too, because he didn't know how to break through the barriers of propriety that he himself had set up. But then Heero mingled into the conversation and asked out of nowhere: "Have you eaten already?" The two maids looked a little perplexed. Their focus had been on Duo. They looked past the long-haired man at their employer and seemed uncomfortable as they shook their heads. They looked like they were taking a test and weren't sure what the correct answer would be. "I'm sure there is plenty," Heero said. "You can have pancakes too. If you'd like." He looked and sounded stiff. He, too, appeared like he was taking a test and was worried about saying the wrong thing. Duo offered him a reassuring smile. The maids gladly accepted the offer. They would eat the rest of the pancakes with the chefs at the breakfast table in the kitchen, while Duo and Heero had their meal in private in the formal dining room. On the plate in front of him, Duo had three stacks of pancakes; regular, chocolate chip and red velvet. And arranged around the plate were bowls with toppings. All kinds of fresh fruits; strawberries, bananas, raspberries, blueberries, peach and mango. And, of course, three different kinds of syrup – maple, chocolate and strawberry – as well as whipped cream and butter. "Holy shit." "I didn't know what you would like," Heero responded, eating from his own, regular pancakes, with strawberries and chocolate syrup. "Everything. I like everything," Duo deadpanned. His intention was to eat a little of each of the three stacks and the different toppings, but he ended up eating most of the food in front of him. He moaned at how perfectly light and fluffy the pancakes were. Even when he thought he was completely stuffed and couldn't eat one more bite, he still snacked on the pieces of fruit that were left, dipping the strawberries and bananas into the nearly empty cup of chocolate syrup. In the meantime, he chatted lightly with Heero. When Duo first started coming to the house, they had dinner on opposite ends of the long table, impeding any attempt at conversation. Lately, the table was set differently: having them sit across from each other on one end of the table. It was more intimate and Duo enjoyed their soft spoken talks, even if he could never get too personal with Heero, for fear of betraying his secret mission. But he confided in him as much as he could, because a part of him wanted to get as close to Heero as he could. As unwise as that was. Then Duo asked: "So what are your plans for Christmas? Aside from getting hammered on eggnog." He winked, making light of the fact that he obviously won't be spending the holidays with family. "I'll be in New York," Heero answered matter-of-factly, as he sipped his dessert wine. Duo's heart dropped a little. He had secretly hoped they could spend the holiday together. Duo wanted the chance to celebrate it with him; to share something pure with him, before everything would be tainted. He tried to hide his disappointment. "New York, huh?" "The Enterprise hosts a big Christmas party every year." He couldn't sound less enthusiastic. "It's a networking-opportunity for business partners and lawyers, pretending to be a party, really. But it's good for relations." "Sure. Sure." He nodded along. "How long will you be gone?" "I'm flying out on the morning of the twenty-fourth. The party is that evening. I'm staying for a few days, since I have a couple of meetings scheduled on the twenty-seventh. After that, I'm going to Philadelphia, to check on the construction of the new Tower and lean on the contractor a little. In his latest estimate he said they'd finish two months behind on schedule. I told him he just needs to hire more workers. The whole point of relocating the Tower every five years is to create job opportunities." Duo liked how heated Heero got as he talked about the contractor's stubbornness, but he didn't like having to spend that time without the other man. They had been together almost every day for the past few weeks. Some days, they barely talked; Heero worked and Duo spent time playing with his new camera and laptop – but it was the most comfortable and at ease Duo had felt his entire life. As odd and presumptuous as it was, the mansion had started to feel like a home to him. It was the place that sheltered him from the big, bad world outside. Just as it was Heero's safe-haven, it was Duo's too. It was their fortress. "What are you doing for Christmas?" Heero inquired. The other shrugged and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "See if my brother wants to hang out, I guess." Him and J.J. didn't really spend Christmases together anymore. J.J. spent the holidays doing the same thing he always did: getting drunk and high with people he mistook for friends, mostly Tsubarov's crew, actively working on getting the young, naïve man into more trouble than he could handle. "You're not sure?" "We aren't really the type of brothers that spend the holidays together. Holidays are for families and… well… the last time we were a family was a long time ago." When J.J. was only a kid and Duo was the "little brother"; A.J.'s little brother. He was "little brother" and J.J. was "baby brother". "You can come with me, if you'd like." Duo straightened up at the casual invitation. "Really?" "Only if you want," Heero emphasized. He smiled from ear to ear. "Do you want me to come with you?" His jaw tightened visibly at first, but then his expression softened and he confessed: "I would like that very much." Duo nodded eagerly and he had to suppress the urge to get up, walk around the table, and hug the other man. "I'd like that too. Count me in." One corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile, but then he looked to the side pensively. Without meeting Duo's gaze again, he said: "I won't be paying you for your company." He tried to sound stern and resolute, but his vulnerability was apparent to Duo. "You can come as my friend, not as my-" He stopped himself. He took a breath before he dared to make eye-contact again. The American showed him a genuine, toothy smile. "I wouldn't just like that, I would love that." And that was when Heero finally smiled, unable to stop his lips from curling and his eyes from shining. Feeling exposed, he turned his head away shyly and he played with his wine glass, probably wishing that it wouldn't have been empty, so he could have taken a sip to hide his smile. Duo got up from his seat, walked around the table and wrapped his arms around Heero from behind, not caring that he had never taken the liberty to hug him before and that he might not be allowed. He rested his chin on Heero's shoulder and pressed his nose against his ear. He could feel the tension of the body locked in his embrace, until, with an exhale, it all melted away and Heero laid his hands on Duo's arms, welcoming the closeness. Tears threatened as Duo had never felt so conflicted. To keep himself calm, he pushed everything of the outside world away and just focused on Heero's scent and his warmth and he let himself be overwhelmed by the realization that Heero felt safe in his arms. He felt honored. Heero was someone special, someone he'd never deserve to have, but he did have him. Heero let him have him, because he cared for Duo, even though in his eyes, Duo was nothing but a rat from the streets whoring himself out to put food on the table. Heero hid it well, but he had such a big and kind heart. He placed a kiss on the man's cheek and then along his jaw until he found his mouth and connected their lips. They moved their mouths together tenderly, each shyly reacting to the other. The kiss became more passionate and intimate when they both parted their lips and eventually Heero allowed Duo to lick into his mouth to deepen the kiss. Duo let out a small moan as he kissed him. Pouring everything into the kiss that was pure and true; his affection and admiration for the other man. In the meantime, he tightened his hold on him and felt Heero's hands clutch at his forearms in turn as they clung to each other. When they broke apart, they were both panting. Heero's eyes were clouded as he stared into Duo's, he looked overwhelmed, but like he welcomed it. He felt comfortable being led beyond his boundaries because he trusted Duo. Once the long-haired man had caught his breath, he smirked down at the other and said: "I don't think friends kiss like that." "No," Heero softly agreed. "Is it okay if I come to New York with you as more than a friend?" "…I'd love that." He kissed him again, short but sweet that time, like signing his name on the dotted line. More than friends. Duo loved that too. They spent the rest of the evening on the couch, with the TV on, although neither was paying attention to the documentary that it was set to. Mostly they were both lost in their own thoughts. They kissed a few times and Duo made sure to keep his hands to himself so as not to spook him the way he did last time. He could tell Heero wasn't ready for anything more than kissing and that was probably for the better. While he longed to get more intimate with him, he knew it wasn't a good idea. Because even though he might be able to forget about reality, it wasn't going away, nor could it be changed. He owed it to Heero to spare him that one violation of his trust. At the end of the lovely night, Calvin drove him home. Duo had made it clear to Neil that he didn't want to be picked up by him anymore, because he'd only meddle and, for the past few weeks, Neil had respected that and had mostly left him alone. But when he got out of the town car and watched Calvin pull away, he noticed the familiar SUV with blinded windows parked across the street. He contemplated just going inside and pretending not to have noticed the car, but he took too long and he could no longer ignore Neil when he flicked on the light in the car and made eye-contact with him. With a groan he dug his hands into his pockets and he crossed the street. He walked around the car, noticing J.J. and Angelica in the backseat, and he got into the passenger seat, closing the door to shield them all from the bitter cold. He was having such a good evening… "What?" Duo bit, when Neil just regarded him in silence. "Well done planting the camera," Neil complimented. "You were expecting me to back out," Duo surmised. "You objected pretty adamantly last time." "Well, last time it wasn't on my terms and it wasn't a good idea. This time, it is on my terms, so I feel more confident about it." Angelica leaned forward and showed him a tablet, on which he could spy into the basement office. The lights were off, so the camera's night vision was engaged. It looked eerie. "If the safe is anywhere in sight of the camera, we'll see him open it once he makes his withdrawal in January." She scooted back into her seat and peered at the screen intently, as if she could find the KDF if she just squinted enough. "We only have a few weeks left. The safe will reveal itself now, so now we need your focus elsewhere. You need to somehow get yur hands on the staff's rotation schedule, or something. I've been observing the place for weeks, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the coming and going of the guards and the household staff. And obviously you need to figure out if Yuy has any trips planned in January." "I'll find out," Duo asserts. "He just told me he's going to New York and Philadelphia this Christmas. He's readily volunteering information at this point. He'll tell me if he has any trips planned." He decided to be less open himself and not share that he would be going with him to New York. "If he's already leaving at the end of December, he might not travel in January," Neil theorized. "I need you to be ready for plan b, if that's the case." The conman raised his eyebrows at the Russian. "Plan b?" "If he's not going anywhere, you'll have to get him out of the house." Before Duo could ask how Neil suggested he could achieve that, J.J. leaned in and Duo could smell his breath as he spoke cheekily: "Invite him over to your place. Or suggest a romantic weekend in the countryside, or something." "And then you'd do the heist without me?" Duo tried not to let it show how strongly he opposed to that idea. He didn't trust any of them in that house and with that money, but he especially didn't trust The Bear enough to let J.J. tag along without Duo there to look out for him. "You're not really needed for that part of the job anyway," Neil said offhandedly. "If that's the only way, that's how it will have to go down." "Or we just wait for him to leave. He's the head of an international enterprise, he's always flying off to some place." "We have to go in as soon as possible after he takes the cash home. We don't want to risk him spending our money on another one of his ugly paintings." Duo was fuming, but he shouldn't let it show. Still, he twisted his fingers into his jeans and clenched his jaw shut. "What was Harold doing at the house?" Duo snapped his head up in surprise. "Excuse me?" "Harold came to the house, I saw him pull up in an Uber. What was he doing there? Didn't you out him to Yuy yet?" Neil pressed on. At Duo's perplexed expression, he explained: "I told you: I'm keeping an eye on the house." "Even when I'm there?" There was an unnerving pause. "Especially when you're there." The long-haired man took a deep breath to compose himself. "He just swung by to pick up some documents that needed to be FedExed." "I thought you were going to use exposing him to get closer to Yuy. We took a big risk sending J.J. in to chat the guy up for the intel that you said you needed." His nostrils flared at the tone Neil took with him. "And I told you that I am in charge of what I do. Getting into Heero's personal space is my job and I do it my way. It turned out that I didn't need to expose Harold to get on Heero's good side; I'm already there." "But it wouldn't hurt." "Yes, it would," he stated. "Messing up Heero's routine isn't going to help anything at this point, least of all us." "I just don't want to risk Harold stealing our money-" "Stop calling it 'our money'!" Duo snapped. "It's not our money." He held his gaze as he pursed his lips and chewed on the inside of his cheek. Neil stared at him with dead eyes. The two in the backseat were completely quiet after the outburst. The tension in the vehicle was palpable. "Not yet," Neil retorted and his voice was scarily calm. "But it will be. If I can still count on you." He fell silent for a moment and released a deep breath. Something flickered in his eyes, before he confessed with uncharacteristic candor: "I don't need to tell you that this is about more than money." "I'm in this," he assured him. "You can trust me. I know what's at stake." He shot a look over his shoulder at J.J. and Angelica, aware that everyone's life and wellbeing was in the balance and Neil was no exception. If he failed his audition for the position of General, Tsubarov would more likely execute him than demote him. Just as he would kill J.J. – if slowly and torturously. And he would keep Angelica enslaved and away from her son in Mexico for the rest of her life. Duo would befall a similar fate. There was only a little relief in knowing that Tsubarov would never be able to get close to Heero again. People had tried to kidnap – and kill – him before, but had failed thanks to his airtight security. That relief was bittersweet because Duo knew that he was the only one who could get to Heero and he had no choice but to follow through. The Russian nodded. Everyone relaxed as they realized they were in the same boat and needed to rely on each other. Duo felt a sympathy for Neil again. He got a sense the man was in for more than he had bargained for and the consequences that loomed over him were starting to unravel him. His ways of trying to compensate by asserting his dominance – but failing to do so convincingly – was just his coping mechanism. They said their goodnights and Duo got out of the car. To his surprise, J.J. got out as well, even though Neil said he would drive both him and Angelica home. "We're gonna get a beer. He looks like he needs it," J.J. explained, before closing the door and patting the roof of the car. Duo didn't say that he wasn't in the mood for a beer, because he was certain that wasn't why J.J. stayed behind him with in and he didn't want to expose him in a lie. He waited until the SUV had pulled away and had rounded the corner before he faced his little brother with a frown. The black-haired man didn't even ease into it, he said point blank: "You gotta stop calling him 'Heero'." Duo snorted and started for the front door of his apartment building. "That's his name," he brushed off and he dug into his pocket for his keys, hearing J.J.'s footsteps follow him closely. "You know what I mean." "Whatever, J.J." "You like him." He froze with his hand on the door handle. He cocked his head over his shoulder. J.J. shrugged. "I don't need to be a mind-reader for this one. If I can tell, Neil sure as Hell can too." "I do like him," Duo confessed. It was the truth and there was no point to denying it. He was an excellent liar, but he couldn't cover this one up any longer. "But that doesn't change my loyalties. I think Neil can tell that much too." "I know," J.J. replied. "I know I can count on you. I'm just worried about you… is all." He cast his gaze down to his shoes. Duo's expression softened and he felt his heart warm at seeing the glimpse of the little brother that he used to love so much. "I never meant for you to get hurt." "I'll be fine," he asserted, unconvinced of his own lie. "We're both going to be fine. I- I'd miss him," he admitted with a crack in his voice. "But it's okay as long as I got you." He reached for his brother, grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him towards him so he could wrap him into a hug. J.J. smelled of sweat, alcohol and some girl's perfume. Duo petted his hand through the greasy, black hair and clung to him. He needed to believe that J.J. was still the person that was worth saving. Deep inside, he was still A.J.'s baby brother and if Duo could just get him this fresh chance to be free from Tsubarov, he could help him be alright – help him be himself again. "I love you, man," Duo muttered into his ear. J.J. chuckled sheepishly and squirmed until he was released. "Don't be gay," he joked. The older man smiled in response. "I guess-… If you still want that beer." "Nah, bro. I don't need this sentimental shit," he jested and rolled his shoulders inside a leather jacket that was too big for him. "I'm gonna bounce and hang with some people my own age. See ya later, old man." Duo shook his head at his antics and watched him walk off. For a split second, his eyebrows knitted together and the thought occurred to him that he had just been played. Maybe J.J. was better at manipulation than he let on? He quickly shook away the eerie feeling; it gave him the shivers. Instead he chose to cherish the sense of calm the small moment had given him. He needed the justification and the validation that he was doing the right thing – even though he knew it was wrong and it felt so wrong. The next day, he went to the mansion again, even though he had made no appointment with Heero the night before. They didn't really do that anymore anyway; Duo was free to stop by whenever he wanted. When he arrived at seven, Heero was still at the office, but Gerry welcomed him inside. "Master Yuy told me you'll be accompanying him to New York," the older man spoke up as he walked him into the kitchen and prepared a cup of coffee for both of them, as he usually did when Duo arrived at the house before the businessman had gotten home from work. "He told you, huh?" The fact that Heero shared the news made it obvious that he was excited about it – albeit in his own, limited way. It was endearing and, for the very same reason, disheartening. "Right after you left. I don't think he is dreading the trip anymore." Duo smiled in response, although it didn't come naturally. "What are your plans for the holiday?" He remembered that Gerry and his wife lived in one of the smaller houses at the front of the estate and for a brief moment he imagined the elderly couple running around the big mansion in their undies while the master was away and that thought made a genuine grin tug at the corner of his mouth. "My wife and I will be spending Christmas in Minnesota, with her side of the family. It's what we do every year," Gerry shared, squashing Duo's amusing little fantasy. "Master Yuy is always in New York for Christmas, so the entire home-staff gets the holidays off." "That's nice. Getting to spend that time with family." "Some years more so than others," Gerry quipped and he winked at Duo when the long-haired man looked up at him from his cup of coffee. Duo chuckled. "Yeah, I guess family can be a pain in the ass too." He knew all about that. "Master Yuy mentioned once that you have a brother. You didn't have any plans with him?" He sighed and took his first sip, feeling the hot liquid burn his tongue a little, making it scratchy against the roof of his mouth. "Not really. I'm not a dumb blonde with tits, so he doesn't particularly like hanging out with me." Gerry's eyes were sympathetic. "I had a brother like that too." "What happened to him?" "He died." "Oh… I'm sorry…" Gerry shook his head. "Don't be. He was fifteen years older than me. He died comfortably in his own bed as an old man. But he was a real ladies' man in his glory days. He settled down though. They all do, eventually." Duo mirrored Gerry's smile, although he wasn't so sure about J.J., but he thankfully accepted the positive outlook as one of many possibilities still left ahead of them. "I'm sure you'll have a wonderful Christmas in New York." "I think so too." He was looking forward to it. His last visit to the city had been such a dream. He couldn't wait to go back there, to that place that was so far away from all of his troubles. To be with Heero, away from the watchful eyes of Neil and The Bear and that damn camera downstairs. What mde it even better was that Heero would have a couple of days' worth of free time to spend with him, considering the party was on the twenty-fourth and he didn't have meetings until the twenty-seventh. They both looked up when the chef walked into the kitchen, followed by a couple of maids. They greeted Duo as they would a friend and then set to work. "I think this means Master Yuy will be getting home soon," Gerry thought aloud. The chef nodded as he got to work dicing vegetables. "ETA is half an hour. Staying for dinner, Duo?" Duo made a face. "Monday is vegetarian night. I'm more of a meat-lover." He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment and dismissed the Chef's kind offer to prepare something else – something "meaty" – just for him. After some thought, he decided: "What the heck. Boy's gotta eat." The chef smiled and started on an extra bell pepper, since he would be serving two guests. "I'll ring Master Yuy to let him know that you are here." "Don't!" The chef jokingly called after the butler as he walked off. "Then he'll just get home sooner and I won't be done." Duo smiled. "You really think he'd come home faster knowing I'm here?" "I'm sure of it. Calvin told me he's been instructed to 'make haste' a couple of time." The warmth in his heart was bitter sweet. They only had about a month left together, after which Duo would have to disappear. Heero would never know for sure if Duo was involved in the robbery, but it was too suspicious to risk it; rich guy has a 'prostitute' come over to his house every day for a couple of months and then money gets stolen from a secret safe, days after a 10 million dollar withdrawal? Duo would be the number one suspect. Heero may care for him and trust him, but the man wasn't an idiot. Even if Duo could manage to abuse that trust and lie his way out of it, he'd have to put the blame on Gerry, since he was the only other person who knew about the basement office. He couldn't live with himself putting that on him, destroying Heero's relationship with him, on top of everything else Duo would be guilty of. He'd have to suffer the consequences of his bertrayal and carry that burden and disappear from Heero's life forever, with nothing but a small hope that the billionaire could ever learn to open his heart again. Since he had nothing to do but think horrible things, and he felt uncomfortable watching others work around him, he talked the chef into letting him cut up a carrot – only if he promised to explain to Heero later why they weren't perfectly "Julienned". He promised, without even knowing what that meant: "Julienne". After he butchered the carrot, making the chef grimace and refuse to let him tackle another vegetable, he helped the maids set the table. Every time he walked back into the dining room, carrying something else, he noticed that the wine glasses or the cutlery he had placed earlier had been moved, since he obviously hadn't done it right. Neither maid said anything, but they did look at him with sly little smiles. For the heck of it, he switched two of the forks and grinned when the girls didn't notice. Exactly half an hour after the chef had come into the kitchen, Heero walked in as well and Duo was a little disappointed that apparently Calvin hadn't been told to "step on it" this time around, until he saw what the Japanese businessman was holding. A paper bag with a big M on it, that smelled of grease and all things good – and simultaneously bad – in life. "You got me McDonalds?" He exclaimed, much like a little child. "Gerry called and said you weren't thrilled about the vegetarian menu." Heero handed the bag to one of the maids so she could plate the food. Duo watched with mirthful eyes as she arranged the Big Mac, French fries and Chicken Nuggets on expensive, gold-rimmed china wear and scooped the sauce from the plastic packets into a mini gravy boat, before walking it into the dining room. As soon as the chef and the other maid had their backs turned to them, Duo leaned in and planted a kiss on the corner of Heero's mouth. It was a joy to see him so caught off guard. A blush even appeared on the man's golden cheeks. "Welcome home," Duo said softly. He hadn't said that to anyone in a long time. The last time he had said it, was to WuFei, when the two were still living together, both in ignorant bliss. That was a very long time ago. Any kind of ignorant bliss had been a long time ago, but Duo felt it again, standing there in Heero's kitchen, just because someone brought him fast food and blushed when he kissed him. The chef interrupted the moment: "Gentlemen, dinner is served." The two took their seat at the dinner table. Duo sat in front of his plate of fast food and Heero was first served some kind of broccoli soup that had been stinking up the kitchen earlier and then he was served a pasta with finely sliced bell pepper and zucchini and big chunks of carrot. Duo snorted a laugh at the look on Heero's face but then innocently popped a fry into his mouth. The frown on Heero's face only deepened as he switched two forks back around and Duo laughed again before admitting: "Sorry, that's my fault." When the man stabbed a piece of carrot onto the appropriate fork, Duo added: "And that's my fault too." "I take it you've been very helpful to the kitchen staff." The comment was delivered with perfect sarcasm. "I think I missed my calling." The corners of Heero's mouth quirked upward in a smile. "What does 'Julliene' mean?" "It's French for cutting vegetables into pieces too large to fit into your mouth." Duo let out a rumbling laugh at the dry retort, very much aware that Heero was taking a jab at him as he opened his mouth wide to pop another piece of carrot into his mouth. The pieces weren't even that big, but it was funny that the stoic man was taking a piss at him. It solidified how comfortable their relationship had become. "Well, then I'm a natural," he played along. They ate the rest of their meals in quiet, but once in a while they would look up at each other and their eyes would meet. Duo would smile at Heero and be rewarded with a small, self-conscious smile in return. It was a moment in a life that he wished was real and permanent, but it was nothing but a fleeting lie. Before long it would be nothing but a treasure in his memories; a haunted treasure.
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